


Albus sees the truth

by DancedemdemDance



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Albus learns about his farther, Arguing, How Do I Tag, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-28 00:47:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20417096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DancedemdemDance/pseuds/DancedemdemDance
Summary: Albus and his farther Harry has been arguing. During the night he gets woken up by his mother who shows him something he won't soon forget.





	Albus sees the truth

Albus woke up one night to the feeling of someone shaking his shoulder. He groaned in slight annoyance, he hoped that if he just ignored the person they would go away, but unfortunately, they were quite persistent. The shaking continued until he growled with anger and sat up.

“What?” the young teenager said annoyed and finally opened his eyes. The light from a Lumus charm was like a knife in the dark room. 

“Come with me” a soft voice said and Albus instantly recognized his mother’s voice. She turned around and started walking towards the door without checking to see if he was following. Albus growled quietly to himself because of cause he was going to get up and follow his mother out of his room after grabbing his robe from his bedside. 

“What’s going on mom?” Albus asked as he yawned and pulled on the garment to keep warm in the night air. He took notice if his mother’s tired eyes, wild hair and robe clad body so she had obviously also just rolled out of bed.

“I heard you and your father shouting today” she said simply as they walked down the hall, the light from her wand being the only source of light. Albus looked down in shame he didn’t mean to get his mother upset with him like that. 

“So?” Albus said uneasily. 

“What you said to your father was absolutely inappropriate” Ginny said sternly without looking at her son. She continued to look straight ahead. Albus ducked his head. He didn’t know why but he could argue with his father just fine, but he was always so afraid to let his mother down. probably because she was the only one in the family who still loved him like before he came to Hogwarts.

“Stay out of it” Albus said and almost walked into Ginny when she suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway. She finally turned towards Albus and the was nothing but anger in her eyes.

“You accused your father for not caring for the people who died in the battle for Hogwarts, that he hates you for being in Slytherin, that he only ever thinks about his legacy” 

“He does” Albus defended himself. He didn’t want to argue with his mother, but he also didn’t want to have to apologize and that he was going to fight for because he recognized the door they had stopped by. It was the door to the master bedroom. Ginny followed his eyes before taking a deep breath, clearly refocusing herself.

“Your father is asleep so when we go in try and be quiet” she said and Albus didn’t miss the sadness in her voice. “You think you father went through all those stories and came out unscathed? It’s time you learned the truth of what war does to people” Ginny said sternly and opened the door.  
Albus heard it way before he could even ask where it came from. A feverish mumbling was filling the room. 

“No get away from there. No… not that… leave her” Harry mumbled while thrashing around in bed like the sheets were trying to strangle him. Albus forgot all about the anger he had been nursing since he started talking to his mother in the hallway. Ginny walked closer with the only source of light and as Albus was swallowed by shadows the soft blue light fell on his father still shouting for someone who clearly wasn’t listening or even present. Harry’s face was drenched in sweat, as were the sheets he was sleeping on. Albus was at a loss of words as he watched the normally unwavering man reduced to little more than a crying child, strangely enough Albus found no humour in this. Without taking her eyes off her husband, she started addressing Albus while running a hand over Harry’s forehead. The movement seemed to soothe him just a little bit.

“He is like this almost every night” Ginny whispered.

“Every night?” Albus said nervously. He felt out of place seeing his father so vulnerable. He just wished to go back to bed now and forget what his mother had shown him. He could just see her nod in the dim light. 

“Now just stand there quietly” she instructed as she dug a hand into her pocket and pulled out a tiny bottle. The moment the hand was removed from Harry’s forehead he became more active again as if the nightmares had picked back up. Albus leaned to the side to get a better look but otherwise remained completely quiet. Ginny held her wand close to Harry’s temple and mumbled quietly before moving it away. Albus starred with fascination as he watched her mother remove the memory that was hunted his father and dropped it into the tiny bottle. Almost the instant the thread of memory left his father, the man woke up with a set and sat up straight in bed. Albus clapped his hands over his mouth to prevent himself form making a surprised sound. He stood completely frozen by the door.

“Love are you there?” Ginny said tenderly and managed to draw Harry’s attention after stuffing the bottle back into her robe pocket. 

“Ginny?” Harry sounded confused, but he turned his attention to her nonetheless and didn’t seem to even notice Albus’ presence. 

“What was it this time?” Ginny asked concerned and ran a hand over Harry’s sweaty forehead.

“It was nothing. Don’t worry about it” Harry said as he leaned into the comforting gesture. Ginny didn’t look convinced for obvious reasons. “Their just bad dreams. Nothing more. Everything is fine” Harry said and it sounded like it was more to himself than to Ginny.

“Harry…” Ginny tried but Harry interrupted her.

“Let’s just go back to sleep alright?” it sounded more like a plea than a suggestion and Ginny gave a sigh before opening the drawer in the bedside table. She took out a different bottle and hesitatingly handed it over to Harry who wasted no time drowning it. He quickly settled down in bed again. Ginny continued to stroke Harry’s forehead and play with his bangs. Only a few minutes later Harry was once again lying unconscious in bed and Albus realized that his father had taken a sleeping potion. Ginny stood up and walked back over to Albus. The lighting once again changed and his father was left in darkness as the light fell over his shocked face. Albus looked at his mother not knowing what to do with himself. She just gestured towards the door and Albus quickly followed her back out in the hallway.

“I hope this can give you an insight to what your father has sacrificed for the sake of others” Ginny said and all Albus could do was look at the floor, luckily it didn’t seem like Ginny was expecting him to answer. “Now listen carefully” she said as she pulled the bottle with the memory out of her pocket and Albus looked at it with fright. What in the name of Merlin could that innocent-looking thread contain that made a man like his father crumble to little pieces. “I’m going to send this to Professor McGonagall”

“Why?” 

“Because I always send her the memories I take from your father Albus. If they were to lie around the house your father will find them sooner or later”

“So, you do this often?” Albus asked almost fearing the answer and just gulped when he saw how serious his mother looked when she nodded.

“But also, because this was only one part of understanding the sacrifices your father have given over the years. I’ll tell McGonagall what has happen so if you wish you can go to her and she will help you watch this memory in her office” Ginny said calmly before putting it away again and grabbed Albus by the shoulder. She started gently but firmly pushing him down the hall towards his room. “Now it’s time for you to return to bed as well young man” 

“Goodnight” Albus mumbled quietly as they stopped by his door. He didn’t wait for an answer before he quickly slipped into his room and closed the door behind him. He slowly removed his robe and returned to bed. The young man knew that no matter what he wouldn’t get any sleep tonight and probably not ever again until he knew what his father had been dreaming about and what of all the other memories his mother had been pulling out over time. Perhaps he would get to see them as well, but under all circumstances that would have to wait until the holiday were over and he returned to school. Hopefully the next three days would past fast so he didn’t have to walk up and down his father after what he had just witnessed. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Feedback is always welcome :-)


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